Loving a Stranger
by Arctic Husky
Summary: Before the group moves onward to battle Mithos, they stop for a rest at Altamira. It is there that Sheena and Zelos confront each other with their concerns.. (one-shot, Sheena x Zelos, alternate-sequel to Someone to Trust)


Well, I promised it... and here it is: a happy sequel to _Someone to Trust_! So, basically to set the scene for you guys – after retrieving Sheena, who had protected Lloyd from Mithos taking control of his body, the group returns to Tethe'alla for a rest before the final battle. As fate would have it, there was not enough room for everyone in their rented room on the fourth floor, forcing Zelos and Sheena to share the room on the fifth floor (Don't ask how it ended that way... I _would_ have mentioned it in the story, but it really held no purpose. They're just together in the room.) Sheena is still rather rattled from Zelos' betrayal, and Zelos is also apprehensive about some stuff (I won't give the entire story away.) Bottom line – they have to figure things out! Ahem... I'm done boring you with my summary: enjoy!

Disclaimer: Guess what! Guess what! I don't own Tales of Symphonia! Blows your mind, eh?

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/...Loving a Stranger.../

"Ooh! It's like a honeymoon suite!" Zelos exclaimed enthusiastically while his eyes scanned each corner of the room that he and Sheena would be sharing in Altamira that night. The summoner rolled her eyes as she walked into the room... It was simply by chance that she was the one to share a room with Tethe'alla's Chosen. In fact, being alone with Zelos was something to dread for her. He always acted as though nothing had happened; that he had never betrayed his friends, and that he had never promised to be there for Sheena... a promise that was not kept... "Come now, Sheena! Don't be shy!" Zelos let himself fall down onto the queen-sized bed, and then he patted the spot next to him, "Room for one more," he invited with a wink.

Sheena took a step backwards, her face completely flushed. "You have _got_ to be kidding me!" she shouted, searching for any way out of sleeping within several metres from the overly friendly Chosen. For a moment, visions of herself cuddled up peacefully with Zelos crossed her mind, though the thoughts were abruptly dismissed upon reminding herself what kind of a person Zelos was. A sigh of relief slipped through Sheena's lips as she caught sight of an alternate resting spot, "I'll stay on the couch tonight, Zelos. Thanks for the offer," she insisted with a hint of sarcasm, walking over to the orchid-coloured sofas arranged in the centre of the room. The Mizuho woman sat down on the most spacious of the couches and looked back at her companion as he objected to her refusal.

"What?! You're honestly going to stay in the same room as me... but _not_ in the same bed??" he questioned in pure disbelief, despite the fact that he was well aware that Sheena was not the type to simply give in to his charms. Sheena merely turned her head away from him as a reply to his inquiry. "Hmph!" Zelos snorted, faking an insulted tone, "Well... if I were back in Meltokio, any of my hunnies would give up **so** much for a chance to share a bed with the great Zelos Wilder, Chosen of Tethe'alla!"

With a quick glance back in Zelos' direction, Sheena plainly stated, "We're not in Meltokio. We're in Altamira."

"Ooh, right! The women here are even _easier_!"

She could not take it any more... Sheena just could not take it. How could Zelos act like nothing had happened? It had been eating at her for all of this time, and he just brushed it aside like a lock of his hair that had fallen in his face! It was impossible; she knew that Zelos was not so cold that he would just shut all of his emotions away like that... they were somewhere, wanting desperately to come out, and Sheena hoped with all of her heart that those emotions held apologies. He had hurt her so much, and surely he knew it. Unable to keep it inside anymore, Sheena quickly stood up from her seat and shot a hurt look at Zelos, "Don't you see it?!" she shouted, "I don't _care_ about these senseless things that you have to say! I want to know... I want you to just tell me that you're sorry for what you did! I want that feeling that I had for you at the House of Salvation to come back..."

_"Come **back**?"_ Zelos repeated in his mind, tilting his head to one side. Desiring to keep to his calm demeanour, Zelos pushed away Sheena's words quickly, "You told me that there's nothing you hate more than a traitor," said the Chosen, recalling how Sheena had gone on a tangent back when Kuchinawa had turned his back on her tribe, "and that's what I am. A traitor. So you hate me, right?"

"I..." Sheena had partially wanted to make Zelos feel guilty for hurting her the way that he did, and now it seemed as though he was turning those feelings back on her. He was like a mirror... throwing back everything that Sheena herself had said, and making it seem worse than it actually was. "When I said that I hated traitors, I had never known that... I didn't mean you, Zelos. It was—"

With a simple shrug, Zelos said, "You're not the only one who can feel hate between us, Sheena." The summoner suddenly found herself frantically searching for words; words that could take back that which was already spoken. With her voice caught in her throat, Sheena could do nothing to object as Zelos casually announced, "I'm going to the casino." Sheena was unable to do anything to stop the Chosen as he gripped a small bag of gald and marched out of the room.

Sheena effortlessly sat down onto the couch; her mind completely blank. What had just been said... it had happened so fast it felt as though it was not real. Sheena did not even feel as though she were living at that moment; she felt like she was nothing more than an audience, watching a play that had just taken a turn for the worst and she was helpless to do anything to change it. "What did I say?" Sheena murmured to herself; her voice sounding distant in her own ears, "What could I have possibly done that made Zelos feel as bad as I did when he turned his back on everything that he had said to me?"

-)---/--(---)--/---(-

Zelos sat at a poker table, mindlessly gazing across the casino to the red-clad warrior that he had found himself in a friendship with... and yet, there was something about him that made the Chosen's blood boil. Lloyd was – without a doubt – the best friend that Zelos had ever had. In fact, Lloyd was the first friend that Zelos had _really_ had. With a sigh, Tethe'alla's Chosen glanced back to the cards laid across the table, "Hit me."

The bunny girl who was dealing out the cards seemed rather perplexed, "Uhm... this is poker, not black jack... and even if it were, the cards are face down..."

"Huh?" Zelos finally took notice to how absent-minded he was being, "Oh, right. Ha ha ha. I was just joking with you, hunny." Considering how enthusiastic the Chosen normally acted, he sounded completely emotionless as he recited the same lines that he always did. "Perhaps black ja-- er... poker... isn't really my game. I should be going now. Keep this memory with you always!" After giving a dramatic bow, Zelos turned and made his exit from the casino, pushing past Lloyd on the way.

As soon as Lloyd felt Zelos bump shoulders with him, the idealist turned around just quickly enough to catch sight of the hard expression on his friend's face. "I wonder what's up with him?" he asked himself, continuing to study the Chosen until he was gone from Lloyd's sight.

-)---/--(---)--/---(-

_"Dammit! I have to get Sheena back!" Lloyd yelled at himself as he paced back and forth, forming a line of flattened grass on Heimdall's perfectly tended-to gardens. He could hardly believe that the ninja had been so senseless as to protect Lloyd by offering her own body to Mithos._

_ Zelos was sitting down on a nearby bench, turning his head from left to right as he followed Lloyd's stride. "Yeah," he agreed with a certain cynicism present in his voice, "if you don't show Sheena what you're made of now, she'll dump you even if we **do** manage to rescue her." In spite of any doubt that Zelos may have been feeling, he always had to toss a joke into whatever he said... though Lloyd's calm response took the Chosen aback._

_ "Yeah." Zelos blinked several times... 'Yeah'? How could Lloyd answer with 'yeah'?? Zelos had just implied teasingly that Lloyd was attracted to Sheena, and vice versa... and he said 'yeah'?! "Letting her get taken away in the first place was pathetic enough. I'm not going to embarrass myself any further!" Lloyd announced with confidence, completely determined to rescue his captured companion._

"You said it," Zelos muttered despairingly, but – as always – he managed to shake it off and return to his normal personality, "Now, let's hurry up and save her!"

-)---/--(---)--/---(-

The Chosen of Tethe'alla hurled a flat stone over the side of the bridge leading from the casino to Altamira's theatre. He watched as the rock skimmed over the water's surface several times before sinking into the liquid's depths. Zelos heaved a dreamful sigh, folding his arms over the bridge's ledge and leaning forward, _"Back when Sheena gave up her body just to protect Lloyd... and then his reaction... What happened after I turned my back on them?"_ Zelos shook his head forcefully, "Man, what am I thinking?" he questioned aloud, earning a few confused stares from passer-byers, "Things couldn't have changed _that _much..." _I want that feeling that I had for you at the House of Salvation to come back._ Shaking his head in disapproval again, the Chosen pushed away from the ledge and began walking towards the elemental railway.

-)---/--(---)--/---(-

Still inside of the hotel room, Sheena was restlessly wandering from place to place. She fidgeted unnervingly, trying to find something to keep her mind off of Zelos' words, but there was nothing in the room for her to do. Sheena folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for something to happen... _anything_. After realizing that things were simply going to remain as calm as they were, Sheena finally decided to venture out of the suite and to another level of the hotel. Walking past the maid without saying any words, Sheena entered the elevator and pressed the button that read '4'. As the elevator lowered itself to the fourth floor, the feeling of her heart rising up in her chest made Sheena feel anxious. It was completely natural to have that feeling while in an elevator, and yet Sheena was so sensitive at that moment that it had a great effect._ "His personality changed so quickly,"_ the summoner thought silently as the elevator halted. She stepped through the door soullessly, and was pushed out of her own world when she noticed Presea standing nearby. "Ah... Presea..."

The pink-haired girl looked at her friend curiously, "Sheena? What are you doing down here? I would have thought that you would be enjoying your suite."

"Y-yeah..." Sheena agreed, "But that stupid Chosen left to go to the casino, so I... came to find some company, I guess..." Truthfully, Sheena could do without being around people right now; she would be just fine alone with her thoughts.

Presea nodded warily, though she doubted Sheena's desperate excuse. "Is there... something that you would like to talk about?" she asked with uncertainty.

"No, it's fine," Sheena insisted, "Zelos was just acting kind of weird, and..." she let her voice trail off, not wanting to reveal her weakness for the Chosen of Tethe'alla, "N-nothing. Never mind."

"Are you... worried about him, Sheena?"

Letting out a sorrowful groan, Sheena began to admit what was concerning her, "It isn't him; it's what he said to me. He said that..." she took in a deep breath, still feeling hesitant to go on. _"I shouldn't bore Presea with my problems. This... doesn't concern anyone but Zelos and I."_ Sheena forced a smile, "Don't bother with it, Presea. It's really trivial. _I_ shouldn't even be troubled by it. Thanks for listening, but everything's fine." Without any more words, Sheena turned and entered the elevator once again.

"I wonder what is going on in her mind," Presea speculated aloud.

-)---/--(---)--/---(-

_The Chosen's group was pressing through the field of Tethe'alla, wanting to have one final rest before the final battle against Mithos. Each of the eight companions had surpassed their doubts and fears, and they all were feeling more powerful than ever before. Zelos had an unwavering smile on his face, knowing now that Sheena was safe from Mithos' grasp, but this smile soon faded as he overheard a conversation between Sheena and Lloyd._

_ "Lloyd..." Sheena said silently, yet not so inconspicuously that the swordsman could not hear her._

_ "Hmm?" Lloyd stopped walking and turned his head to face Sheena, "What's up?"_

_ Sheena blushed furiously and looked away from Lloyd, "Ah... I'm sorry, it's nothing," she insisted, refusing to make eye contact with her friend, "I just... I wanted to call your name..." She lowered her head slightly while turning even more red due to her own words._

_ Lloyd raised an eyebrow, "What? You're weird, Sheena," he teased, remaining ignorant to the meaning behind Sheena's words. While the other members of the group had gone ahead and let Lloyd and Sheena fall behind, Zelos had quickly hidden himself from sight, and was eavesdropping, letting his pride get the best of him._

_ "...I mean... you know," Sheena fumbled over her own words, wanting to keep the conversation flowing, while at the same time wanting to avoid saying anything inane, "I was worried..." she confessed as though it were a crime to be concerned, "about whether I'd really gotten my real self back." Sheena awkwardly tucked some of her hair behind her ear, waiting for Lloyd's reply to her words._

_ "Sheena, look into my eyes."_

_ "What?" Sheena questioned sceptically as Lloyd casually cupped her chin and forced her to face him, "...ah... okay..." Sheena felt that same redness creeping across her cheeks as the idealist continued to scrutinize the expression in her eyes, "Th... this is kind of embarrassing," commented the summoner. Zelos was staring onward, completely awestruck; she was just letting him get so close to her without pulling away or anything of the sort. She had never allowed him to do that... it was like Sheena's instinct to pull away from Zelos whenever he touched her._

_ Lloyd released his grip on Sheena and stepped back with a smile, "It's okay. You're okay," he deduced._

_ "What?" asked Sheena again, "How do you...?"_

_ Before Sheena could trip over her words again, Lloyd interrupted, "Your eyes... they're the gentle eyes of the Sheena I know," he explained, "So Mithos isn't in you anymore. He's gone off to Derris-Kharlan."_

_ "Th-thank you..." Sheena stammered, not taking her eyes off of Lloyd, "Yeah. You're right. I'm okay..." the summoner's tone softened significantly as she added, "...because you're here." Lloyd still did not seem to realize what it was Sheena was looking for from him; he could not see the apparent hints that she was dropping. Sheena found herself unconsciously moving closer to Lloyd when Zelos decided to make his presence known._

_ "**There** you guys are!" he exclaimed, throwing an arm over both Lloyd and Sheena in a friendly fashion, "We were wondering where you two disappeared off to! Come on, we'd better quicken the pace if we're going to catch up with everyone!"_

Sheena growled under her breath, sending a death glare towards the meddlesome Chosen, "Zelos! Why do you always have to... augh!" She stormed forward irately, soon to be followed by Zelos, leaving Lloyd to try and comprehend what had just happened on his own.

-)---/--(---)--/---(-

Thinking back on the times that he felt Sheena drifting away from him, Zelos was struggling to quell the fury that he felt towards Lloyd. As far as he was concerned, his 'buddy' was stealing Sheena's feelings away from him, and Lloyd had no right to do so. The Chosen stood by the water's edge, awaiting the arrival of the elemental train. He simply wanted to return to his room and go to sleep... doze until all of his fears faded away, and he could just act like his light-hearted self again. In the distance, Zelos could spot the iridescent headlights of the approaching train. _"I know I'm just being immature about this whole thing... Hell, I don't even know why I'm so attached to that violent banshee! For some reason, I just can't stand to see her anywhere near another..."_

"Zelos, are you all right?" The sound of Lloyd's voice set off all of the pent-up torment within Zelos, and so the Chosen suddenly spun around and slammed his fist into the peaceful swordsman's face. "Ow! Zelos, what was that for?!"

With a completely callous look in his eyes, Zelos retorted, "When a person is alone, they generally want to be _left_ alone! You're the last person that I want to talk to, Lloyd! You'll never hold the answers to everyone's problems if you're the one causing them!" The elemental train came to a stop just behind Zelos, so the Chosen remained no longer and stepped onto the train without so much as another word to Lloyd. _"...another man. That's what Lloyd is, and I **hate** it."_

-)---/--(---)--/---(-

Sheena fell down onto the couch as soon as she re-entered the unnecessarily large hotel room. "I need sleep..." she murmured to herself, "...too bad I'll never be able to get it." Sheena's body began to quiver involuntarily, and so – assuming that she was simply cold – she got up from the sofa and wandered over the bed, snatching the blanket off of it and returning to her resting place. The summoner wrapped the blanket as close to her body as possible, but it just would not cease shivering. She arranged herself in a comfortable sleeping position, even though she was well aware of the fact that she would be wide-awake all night. Sheena closed her eyes, _"The least I can do is **try** to rest a little..."_

The sound of the room door swinging open drifted into Sheena's ears; it would have been so silent that she would not have noticed, but Zelos had pushed it open with so much force that the door slammed against the wall. Sheena flinched slightly from the sudden crash, though she was careful not to let Zelos know that she was awake. With a groan, Tethe'alla's Chosen flopped down onto the bed and mumbled profanities under his breath. Between the uncalled for swears, Sheena was able to make out words like 'Lloyd', 'doesn't get it' and 'pointless love'. Not daring to even breath loudly, Sheena lifted her head slightly just so that she could see Zelos. The Chosen was now sitting cross-legged on the bed, staring at his clenched fists in anger. From what Sheena could observe, Zelos was completely lost in his own world; so much so that it was making the summoner feel uneasy. Desiring to get out of that room and clear her head, Sheena inaudibly got into a seated position, and then to her feet. Just as she began to head for the door leading to the balcony, Zelos sighed loudly, "Sheena..."

Freezing in her steps, Sheena darted her eyes towards Zelos to find that the Chosen was still only speaking to himself. _"He's acting so different,"_ she observed, sneaking out onto the terrace, _"It's pretty alarming to see him so down... and **seriously** upset. I can't understand it..."_ Sheena walked to the edge of the balcony and rested her hands upon the railing. Glancing up towards the sky, Sheena could not help but be reminded of what was _really_ important at the moment; the purple-black sky that was in actuality Derris-Kharlan told her that her mind could _not_ be focussed on Zelos right now; she still did not know if they would even survive. "I still can't stop thinking about him, though..." Sheena mused.

"Thinking about who?"

With a start, Sheena quickly turned around to face her questioner—Zelos. "Ah, uhm... n-no one!"

Zelos commented in a droning tone, "Honestly, Sheena. It's not too hard to tell when you're lying; you're terrible at it. You trip over your own words all of the time and never look into my eyes when you lie." Sheena opened her mouth to respond, but once again, Zelos did not allow her to find her words, "You think that I don't notice these things, right? That it's not in my personality? You've been lost after I betrayed all of you, and you think that I haven't seen it. I'm a lot more—"

"Zelos, will you let me defend myself?!" Sheena snapped suddenly, causing the Chosen to step down in surprise, "I _had_ thought that you'd noticed, and that you were really paying attention to all of the emotions that I felt for you! I _had_ believed that there was more to you that you led on, but now I can't say that I think that anymore!"

"So now you're feeling these 'emotions' for _Lloyd_?!"

Sheena was about to shout 'yes!' when she realized what Zelos had suggested, and so she paused, shaking her head in confusion. "...What?"

"Don't deny it," Zelos said lowly in almost a growl, "You're been flirting with Lloyd ever since after my betrayal. It's so obvious that I'm mad at myself for not seeing it sooner. You say that you felt _emotions_ for me, and yet here you are letting them slip you by and turning to another man because you're scared. Clearly whatever you _felt_ for me isn't the same as what I _feel_ for you."

This solemn Zelos was making Sheena feel more awkward than ever. She no longer felt as though she were conversing with the fun-loving Chosen that she had come to care for, but with a stranger that had a grudge that she could not comprehend. No longer holding the courage to defend herself with a loud spoken voice, Sheena softened her tone as she stared down at the ground, "I admit that after you left, I turned to Lloyd for comfort. Maybe it did happen that I started to feel something more than friendship for him, but that's all that he was: a friend. I was broken and needed someone to help fix me... but you weren't there, Zelos. You were always the one who helped me get through my hard times, and here you were being the one causing them. I... guess that's why my sentiments for Lloyd were so strong; he was serving as a replacement for you."

"Sheena..." Zelos whispered in a pitying tone, no longer consumed by the rage and jealousy that had caused him to blow up on the person he cared for the most. He wrapped his left arm around Sheena's waist and pulled her back against his chest. "Sheena, don't worry about it." Zelos could tell that Sheena still did not feel comfortable around him because her body was shaking nervously. The Chosen lifted his free hand up to Sheena's head and untied the ribbon in her hair, letting it fall loose, and then buried his face into the softness of her hair, chuckling lightly in an attempt to brighten the mood, "You know, I'm hardly one to talk about loyalties in relationships." Knowing what Zelos meant, the summoner also laughed, though it was clearly forced. "Things still aren't right... are they?" Zelos asked hesitantly; he did not desire to hear about what was wrong... for once, he just wanted everything to be perfect.

Leaning back into the Chosen's chest, Sheena shook her head forlornly, "It isn't even about Lloyd, Zelos. I _know_ that it's only you that I care about, and that's what makes me nervous." The summoner enclosed her fingers around Zelos' hand, holding his arm closely. "Zelos, I want to be with you so badly..." Sheena closed her eyes tightly, letting the tears well up behind her eyelids, "But you know it and I know it; I was named successor of Mizuho... **I** am going to be the next chief. To run away with the Chosen would be to turn my back on my people. I can't do that, Zelos. I just can't..." The bitter liquid of despair began trailing along her right cheek. Zelos moved to wipe away her tears, but Sheena quickly shifted out of his grip. "I can't," she repeated desolately.

Tethe'alla's Chosen was beginning to grow frustrated by how dense Sheena was acting; had she learned nothing from this entire adventure? Even Zelos had to admit that because of his new companions, he was able to _truthfully_ be optimistic; he was able to believe that there were alternate ways so that things could work out for everyone. "Sheena," he said strictly without raising his voice at all, "We've been through so much. Not just us personally, but our entire group... Why can't you try and find another way? You shouldn't have to be ripped away from your beliefs because of the feelings between us... and yet, we shouldn't leave these feelings behind because of your beliefs. I love you, Sheena. True love: something that I cannot put behind me. I'm stubborn and you know it. I won't take 'I can't' for an answer."

Sheena looked up at Zelos, wishing to say 'Yes, Zelos; I'll be with you no matter the consequence.' "I..." she shook her head once again. "I'm sorry, Zelos," not wanting to see his reaction, Sheena stepped back into the room.

"Hmm..." Zelos pondered, _"Well then, if that's the way things are going to be,"_ he, too, returned to their suite, _"I'll just have to make her realize how badly she needs me."_ A conniving smirk found its way to the Chosen's face despite his rejection. He strode over to Sheena's side and threw his arms around her in a hug. Zelos could feel Sheena's entire body tense up at first, but she soon melted into his embrace, unable to resist. "I love you," he whispered in her ear. Zelos' words made Sheena suddenly realize what she was doing, and so she slipped out of his grip.

Zelos' eyes followed Sheena as she backed away towards the opposite end of room. "What do you think you're doing, Zelos!?" she shouted.

"Nothing, nothing!" he assured cheerfully, lying down on the bed once again and pulling the sheets over himself, ignoring the fact that Sheena had stolen the blanket. As Sheena stared on at the Chosen, she could not keep the fantasy from returning: her and Zelos cuddled up peacefully on that bed. It was then that Zelos decided to have one of his 'mind-reading' moments, "Are you going to join me, or will I have to drag you and that blanket over here? I'm freezing."

Sheena took another step back, not having the courage to admit her dream, "N-no!"

"Okay, then. You're going for the latter," Zelos swiftly bounded to his feet and advanced towards Sheena. The summoner made a dash for the door, but Zelos had no problems catching her by the arm and playfully pulling back down onto the bed with him. "This is what you've been wanting, isn't it?" he asked, tightening his hold around her torso. Zelos had expected Sheena to retort with a lying 'no!', so he was completely surprised when she suddenly broke into laughter. "Why are you...?"

"I obviously can't hide the fact that I've always wanted this with you anymore, but... In all of my fantasies, I never had to be _dragged_ to bed with you," Sheena explained between snickers.

That familiar smirk appeared on Zelos' face again, "Oh? So were you hoping for something a little more romantic?" he teased, turning Sheena over onto her back. Sheena mischievously glared up at Zelos as he pinned her down on the bed, "Did you imagine something more like this?"

In a mocking tone, Sheena responded, "Oh, yeah. It's every girl's romantic fantasy to feel like she's about to be raped."

"Picky, picky," Zelos murmured to himself, releasing the summoner from his grasp, "I guess you really _aren't _like my hunnies at all..." The Chosen leaned closer to Sheena and placed a light kiss upon her lips, "I'm glad." He rested himself down next to her and embraced her innocently.

"I still can't be with you, Zelos."

The Chosen smirked again, "But someone in your village once told me that in Igaguri style 'even love must be held in secret'," he sat up in the bed and looked down at the Mizuho native next to him, "So _technically_ we're not going against any rules..."

"Zelos, you can only stretch things so far," Sheena persisted, recovering from her previous fit of laughter.

Zelos pouted, partly in a joking manner, yet also partially serious, "You can never find an easy way out, can you?" The summoner shook her head, looking away from Zelos. "Okay then, how about this: we'll be uniting the worlds soon and the church will lose its power, as well as the Chosen," he kissed her lips gently again, "I'll no longer to bound to Meltokio; for once in my life, I'll be able to do whatever I want, live wherever I want, and be with whomever I want..."

Sheena sighed, "_Tell_ me you're not suggesting that you'll join Mizuho..."

"Why not?"

"Things aren't that simple, Zelos!" she snapped, beginning to lose her patience with his optimistic attitude; Sheena was ready to give up and let life go on, but Zelos would not let that happen. She was tired of trying, of hoping and dreaming to be with Zelos. Sheena felt like it was all for a lost cause, and she was better off forgetting about it all and going back to that life of Zelos being that famous stranger that everyone loved. And yet, _Zelos_ still had the feeling that his wishes would come true; and unlike Sheena, he would do whatever it took to reach them.

"I never said that I thought it would be simple," he stated calmly, "I'm just saying that – as corny as it sounds – I'm willing to do whatever it takes to be with you. Can't you just let me do that?"

Sheena let a slight smile tug at the corner of her mouth, "All right, you can try," she sat up and propped her back against the backboard of the bed, "but someone so used to the city life may not be able to handle it."

"Oh, yeah?" Zelos looked over to her, "I take that as a challenge!"

The summoner returned his gaze, "This should be interesting."

"C'mere," Zelos held open his arms, inviting Sheena into them. She dithered for a moment, sceptical of whether or not to accept his offer. "I'll drag you down again..." he teased, "I still need my warmth, y'know?" Sheena shifted towards the edge of the bed timidly, which made Zelos automatically reach towards her and pull her into his arms, "I warned ya." Even though she wanted to stay there, that instinct always made Sheena try to pull away, but this time Zelos was not going to let go no matter what. "Quit squirming."

"Zelos..." Sheena sighed and rested her head on the Chosen's chest, "Why the hell do I love you?"

"Oh, that's simple!" he replied cheerfully, pulling the summoner even closer, "_Everyone_ loves me!" Sheena glanced towards Zelos, clearly not pleased with his response, and so he provided a better explanation, "Everyone loves me because I'm that famous heartthrob; 'irresistible to all females'... But you're not like everyone," Zelos' voice became more dreamful than before; the words he spoke were nothing less than the truth, "you love me for my true self, and not that mask that I put on to keep the world content. Once the worlds are reunited and I am no longer the Chosen, memories of me will fade from the minds of those random women. I'll just be like everyone else: a stranger on the street. That's all that I want to be... that's all."

"So in other words, you're sick of society loving you – a stranger?"

"Yep," Zelos ran his fingers through Sheena's loose hair, wearing a satisfied smile, " I don't want that love. I actually want one that will last; a bond between two people who know each other more than anyone else in the world."

Sheena closed her eyes and locked her arms around Zelos' abdomen. "Heh... And that's the kind of bond that _we_ have..."

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Phew... I'm done. That ended up being longer than anticipated. I hope it was to your liking. _(smile)_ Please review with any opinions you have, and keep reading!


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